Who We Are
Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice is an international feminist organisation working to advance gender justice through the law, with a particular focus on international criminal law and accountability for gender-based harm.
We work to ensure that international justice systems recognise the full scope of gender-based violence and discrimination, and that survivors and communities most affected by harm are able to shape justice processes, from how crimes are defined, to how accountability and reparations are pursued.
Our work sits at the intersection of international criminal law, feminist legal analysis, and collective action. We combine deep legal expertise with sustained engagement alongside survivors, civil society, and justice institutions to address gaps where gender-based harm has been overlooked, mischaracterised, or excluded.
our History
Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice was founded in 2004 to carry forward the legacy of the Women’s Caucus for Gender Justice, a global feminist coalition that played a decisive role in ensuring the recognition of sexual and gender-based crimes in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
We have spent more than two decades working inside and alongside international justice systems to strengthen accountability for gender-based harm. We’ve authored more than 60 legal submissions and publications, including amicus briefs, legal analyses, and global frameworks such as the Hague Principles on Sexual Violence and Gender Report Cards, shaping how gender-based crimes are defined, investigated, and addressed in international justice processes.
Our work has been informed by engagement with thousands of survivors across contexts including Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and beyond, through participatory consultations, reparations advocacy, and survivor-informed legal and policy work.
How we work
We advance gender justice through three mutually reinforcing approaches.
We provide rigorous legal analysis and monitoring of international and domestic laws, policies, jurisprudence, and accountability processes.
Our research supports more accurate recognition of gender-based harm and informs legal standards, prosecutions, and reparations.
We engage directly with international courts, policymakers, and justice processes to promote gender-competent, survivor-informed approaches to accountability for sexual and gender-based crimes.
Our campaigns respond to concrete gaps in law and practice and support sustained change beyond individual cases or moments.
We work in solidarity with survivors, feminist organisations, and civil society networks, using our access and position to support power-sharing, safe participation, and collective action.
We convene grassroots expertise and international justice institutions, ensuring that lived experience informs decision-making.
OUR TEAM
our board
Akila Radhakrishnan is an international human rights lawyer and a globally recognized expert in justice and accountability, sexual and gender-based violence, gender equality, and reproductive rights. Akila is currently the Strategic Legal Advisor for Gender Justice for the Atlantic Council’s Strategic Litigation Project. She previously served as the President and Legal Director of the Global Justice Center. Akila has led ground-breaking legal work on gender and international law, including abortion access in conflict situations, the role that gender plays in genocide and crimes against humanity, ensuring accountability for reproductive violence, and the codification of gender apartheid.
A prominent voice on gender issues globally, her unique expertise as a feminist international lawyer and strategist is sought by policymakers, academics, media, and grassroots actors around the world. She has briefed the United Nations Security Council, presented at the International Criminal Court, and regularly advises governments and multilateral institutions on issues of gender equality and human rights.
Her expert analysis can also be seen across popular media, including in The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, CNN, and The Nation. Akila has been the recipient of multiple awards and honors, including the Women’s Media Center’s Progressive Women’s Voices IMPACT Award, the Her Hero award from the New York City Bar Association, and has been named as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy by APolitical.
Emilie Palamy Pradichit is a woman human rights defender, intersectional feminist and an international human rights lawyer.
Born into a refugee family from Laos, she founded the Manushya Foundation in 2017, working at the intersection of digital rights, sustainability, protection of defenders, transnational repression, and access to justice. Through her Foundation, she reinforces the power of women and youth advocating for democracy, social justice and equality, while also defending indigenous, forest dependent, LGBTIQ+ and marginalized communities across Southeast Asia.
Paxton McCausland is a transmasculine, non-binary organiser, researcher, and academic whose work spans grassroots movements, international advocacy, and critical research on gender in international law.
With experience from the Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict to the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, Paxton brings a wealth of knowledge and lived experience as well as a strong dedication to building a world where all can thrive.
Demetrius Wijesinghe is a seasoned international investigator with expertise in human rights, criminal law, and gender-based violence. As a Senior Investigator at a global investigative services firm, he has led high-stakes cases involving the collection of intelligence and evidence for diverse clients. His prior role at the Truth, Reconciliation, and National Unity Commission in Seychelles saw him spearheading investigations into state-sponsored violence, including murder, torture, and sexual crimes, while working closely with government officials and high-level informants.
Demetrius also played a significant role at the International Criminal Court (ICC), working within the Prosecutor’s Office and the Gender and Children Unit of the Investigations Division. At the ICC, he assisted in high-profile investigations into sexual and gender-based crimes, ensuring the application of intersectional gender analysis across the Court’s operations. His contributions were key in advancing gender justice in international criminal law. With a Master of Science in Human Rights from the London School of Economics, Demetrius continues to advocate for justice and accountability.
Our Annual Reports
Where Are We
Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice is based in The Hague, the Netherlands, at the centre of international justice institutions.
We work in close partnership with in-country organisations and networks in strategic locations, supporting locally grounded initiatives and survivor-led advocacy in diverse contexts.